To Pull A Natsu
by SafireRansome
Summary: Just as Lucy and the guild begin celebrating Natsu's defeat of Jacob Lessio, she disappears right before their eyes. As her nakama begin a desperate search for their beloved celestial mage, Lucy has been sent back in time, and is confronted by a toad with a message from "that Yondaime blondie". Also, she gets a cave where she can practice...ninjutsu? What does this mean? Part Xover
1. Chapter 1

"So, today was 'Respect for the aged day', was it...?"

Makarov pulled his fist back, face darkening. The air around him practically trembled at his fury as he seethed silently. Suddenly, his whole body enlarged into that of a giant and he slammed Jacob Lessio through the wall of the guild, sending him flying out with an unmanly scream.

"IN THAT CASE, THEN YOU OUGHTTA SHOW THE FIRST MORE RESPECT THAT ANYONE, _PUNK_!" He roared. His 'children' sweatedropped behind him as Natsu waved his arms, alarmed, "Gramps, stop wrecking the guild!"

The master froze, slowly turning towards the dragonslayer. He scooped him up in one huge hand, much to Natsu's screams of protest. He bellowed, "NOW IF THAT ISN'T A CASE OF THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK!" Before he hurled the boy out of the hole in the wall.

Natsu yelled all the way, surprise slowly transforming into exhilaration. The lakewater that he shot past blew up into huge clouds of steam that followed him like a dust trail as he made his way towards his opponent. He was excited, he decided, as he cracked his knuckles. "Fire Dragon King Mode!"

His flames wreathed his body, writhing like a restrained vortex. They hungrily shot towards the enemy, burning off his clothes and scorching his skin a bloody red.

"AAH! Ho- Ho- HOOTTT!" The man screeched in horror and agony as he was cooked by the pure, radiant heat of Natsu's power. His eyes darkened as he tried to fight back, but Natsu grinned in elation, cocking his fist.

"FIRE DRAGON KING'S DEMOLITION FIST!"

The vortex was unleashed, and it focused with his hand, ramming into the man's cheek. Jacob Lessio shot back and the flames wrapped around him, slamming him face-first into the ground. He didn't make a sound as his legs lost mobility and dropped to the earth.

Breathing hard, Natsu beamed at his guild, who were watching him. They started cheering and celebrating as soon as it was over, and he made his way back to the half-ruined hall as fast as he could. Lucy ran from the crowd to intercept him, giving him a hug and dragging him back to their nakama. She turned to him again as they approached. Her smile was wide and bright, her eyes closed.

"That was amazing, Natsu! Good j-!"

Without a sound, she disappeared.

Smoke was what remained of her form.

"LUCY!"

* * *

Lucy snapped awake with a scream, scrambling upright in the soft sheets. Warmth that had been enshrouding her from one side quickly dissipated as her pink covers flew off, and she leaped from the bed, reaching for her keys.

Wait. She froze.

Sheets? _Bed?_

What had happened to her? The last thing she remembered was that she was celebrating with the rest of the guild after Natsu beat that creepy Stealth magic guy.

Her head shot from one side to another, eyes scanning the room. Pink-covered bed, elegant writing desk, closet...She was in her old apartment, she realised with a cold shiver, the one she'd owned in Magnolia before moving to Crocus. The most disturbing thing?

Everything was identical to when she had last saw it in it's full glory, right down to the pink-haired idiot (and his cat) on the bed.

Said idiot was sitting up, yawning tiredly and stretching. His droopy, half-closed eyes attempted to survey her. "Mmrph. Luce, ya didn't have to go ripping the blankets off..."

Another voice joined his. "Yeah, Lu-shee! It's cold now!" Happy sniffed dramatically, fat tears dripping down his face.

She stared at them with wide eyes. Suddenly, she jerked Natsu up by the scarf and shook him. His head lolled backwards lazily as he groaned in protest. "Natsu, why are we here? How did we even _get_ here? I know I sold this place!" She sounded frantic.

"What do you mean, Luce? You've been in the guild for ages...never sold anything, you hoarder..." Happy nodded snobbishly in the background. Lucy let the dragonslayer drop onto the mattress as her eyebrow twitched. Like he had the right to call her a hoarder, that stupid dragon! And his damn cat! She raged on mentally, trying not to break something.

Another part of her, the rational part of her, was a little frightened. Natsu acted like they weren't just fighting Jacob Lessio, as if he'd forgotten everything. It made her worry, made her wonder if any other of their nakama were amnesiacs.

But the most worrying thing was that he was perfectly content like he was before he left and the guild disbanded, without that little bit of darkness in his eyes and devastating power in his aura. It was like Tartaros never happened, and Zeref never happened...He didn't even have the scar on his face!

 _Oh no._

Ice-cold queasiness trickled through her veins, and Lucy scrambled off the bed to find the calendar she had kept in her desk a year ago. A sickening feeling lurched in her stomach as her fingers touched the glossy cardboard. She realised that she was scared to open it to see if it was true. Lucy took a deep, shuddering breath.

 **May, X791.**

That was after everyone came back from Tenroujima, just before Michelle appeared. One year and a bit before she was due to fight Jacob Lessio with Natsu.

 _Oh my god._ Lucy sank to the floor, clutching the calendar so hard that the cardboard creased under her pale fingers. Her brown eyes dilated and she trembled slightly. In excitement or terror, she couldn't decide.

 _I might have time traveled. Just maybe._

An idea popped into her head. Jumping up, she opened her window, savouring the fresh air for a minute before looking out. Magnolia was the same as it had been, bustling and lively, without the small but telltale signs of damage that Tartaros had wrecked.

Lucy gulped, pulse quickening with excitement. This was the real deal. A chance to change the past and help the future. _Or_ , a nasty little voice whispered in her head, _this might be some sort of illusion magic._ Lucy snorted. If it was, it was, but she sure as hell wasn't about to let her nakama suffer through everything again.

 _But_ , the little voice said, _what if things aren't meant to be changed? What if Natsu and Gray have to lose their fathers to grow? What if Erza has to -_

Lucy used all her strength to crush the voice into tiny pieces. A small smile spread over her darkened face. Maybe it was time to pull a Natsu. To do things on the spot and damn the consequences because _she was gonna make sure that her friends grew up in their own time, dammit._

Standing up, she brushed herself up and decided to take a walk to the guild. She was wearing her past attire, which was fine with her.

 _It's nice to be...younger, I guess?_

Grabbing her whip and keys, she walked out and locked the door. Never mind Natsu and Happy, they'd get out through the window anyway.

Lucy balanced on the sidewalk above the canal, looking around with a smile. The boatman wished her safety loudly and she waved back to him. Ah, to be back in the good old days again.

The town was beautiful, she mused. Lucy guessed that she'd never appreciated it enough until she moved out of it. The streets bustled with life as vendors advertised their wares and children played around. The air was fresh and clear, tinged with salt from the sea. She waved to the inhabitants happily as she made her way out of town to the Fairy Tail building. Lucy sighed a little sadly. She couldn't wait to get the old one back after the Grand Magic Games. Then she winced. There was the issue of planning out how to do things...

But this was no time to be thinking about it! Lucy would go with the flow. She beamed a brilliant grin as she opened the doors to the guild, strolling in to sit at the bar.

"Good morning, Lucy!" Mira greeted her from behind the bar, a gentle smile on her face. Lucy giggled cheerfully in return, fingers splaying out on a small wave. "Morning, Mira!"

The take-over mage leaned onto the counter, a delicate silver eyebrow raised as she chuckled slightly. "Lucy, you seem very...pleased today. Did Natsu perha-"

"No!" Lucy sweatdropped as she tried to hold back the blood that was attempting to explode into her face. That escalated quickly. She'd forgotten how Mira used to mercilessly tease her about Natsu. The she-devil looked so innocent in front of her. "Nothing like that! I just...I'm happy."

Mirajane pouted a little, looking away. "Whatever you say, Lucy!" A gleam again crept into her eyes, making the celestial mage squirm slightly. "Wait! Let me guess..." The white-haired girl stroked her chin slowly and deliberately.

"Maybe Lu-chan paid her rent early!" The two girls turned to see Levy approaching them, looking amused. Lucy straightened in her seat as if she was going to hug her, but relaxed into her chair again. "Levy-cha-..."

Her friends words hit her, and she slammed her head onto the bar, groaning. She hadn't paid her rent. Lucy knew because on her calendar, the next day was circled in red marker with the message 'PAY RENT'. She was...in a deep, stinking pile of excrement. Bull excrement.

"H-hey, Lu-chan? Are you alright? Did I say something wro- oh." Levy stopped babbling as she realised what she'd said. "I'm sorry, Lu-chan!"

Lucy groaned again, somewhat comically, as she slowly jerked her head around to face her friend. Her eyes were shadowed and her face was pale as a ghost as her spirit left her body through her mouth. It hovered over her head, sobbing dramatically for a few seconds while apologising to Levy. The blue-haired girl's eye twitched as she tried to hold in her giggles.

"Lu..." Levy coughed discreetly. "Lu-chan, why don't you go on a job with your team? I'm sure you'll be set after that." The script mage left the unsaid 'as long as they don't destroy anything' to dissolve into the air. Mirajane then decided to throw in her own two cents, smiling innocently all the while.

"Or you could just go with Natsu. Even if something happens, you should still have enough money left to pay your rent."

It was set. Lucy shot up from her seat, grabbed Levy in a quick, almost Erza-esque one-armed hug, and set out of the guild with a, "Okay, I'll see you guys later! Thanks!"

After she left, Mira clasped her hands together, frowning slightly. "Hey Levy, don't you think that Lucy is a little different today?" The other girl bit her lip and shot her a look, sighing. "I guess so. Maybe a little."

"I hope she's alright." Mira muttered. Levy nodded.

"Yeah."


	2. Chapter 2

**I am back! Thanks for the enthusiastic following, everyone! Please review, as this is my first Naruto and Fairy Tail story so I need to know if I'm doing anything wrong (I think I am...T.T).**

* * *

It had been two days since Lucy had found herself back in her old apartment. It was an...enlightening (second) experience, so to speak. She'd spent some time easily slipping back into her old routines - oh, the joys of paying rent and kicking out dragonslayer idiots - and currently, she was at home. She'd just finished trying to puzzle out a plan (or at least an outline) on what she should do to prevent or make sure some events in this time managed to pass.

Needless to say, she was stuck at some parts. They mostly included how she could defeat the enemies with minimum destruction and loss. Lucy shrugged to herself; she'd finish it later. Thank Mavis that she had been sent to a fairly stable, eventless period in time.

Lucy sighed as she flopped onto her bed and smiled. Life was good, for now. She still had a few more days until Michelle arrived, so she would relax until then. A warm breeze blew into her room, gently ruffling her bangs. She closed her eyes, feeling her soft covers wrap around her. Crickets chirped outside her window and toads croaked.

 _Ribbet, ribbet._

Wait a minute. Since when did she have - ?

Lucy shot up, looking around frantically, before her eyes landed on a toad. It sat at the foot of her bed, looking smugly amused as it croaked again.

A year ago (in her time) Lucy probably would have screamed and kicked it, but now, she just reached for her whip, and got a good look at it. If it did something, she'd whack it to Alvarez.

The creature was huge - for a toad - it was the size of a dog, black and orange with dark markings around its face and eyes. There was something curious about its abdomen as it looked like there was some sort of lumpy white obi there. It's arms were crossed, and it looked fairly grumpy.

"Oi, girl. Ya gonna stand there all day?" The toad asked.

Lucy blinked. And stared.

 _Then_ she screamed.

The celestial mage jumped backwards in fright and her whip lashed out towards the toad with all her strength. He only rolled his eyes and caught it in his mouth, spitting it out immediately with a look of distaste.

"That thing looks too much like a snake. Put it down."

Lucy lowered her whip towards the ground cautiously, eyes trained on him. Internally, she was practically hyperventilating, with her heart attempting to explode. A _toad_ just talked to her! She shouldn't be surprised, since she hung out with talking cats, but toads were another matter! (Not really, since she also hung out with talking pumpkins and dragons and - whatever. She digresses.)

"Um...who are you?" She ventured carefully, not using 'what' in case he got offended. The toad snorted.

"Name's Gerotora. Got sent here by that Yondaime blondie to show you a sealed cave as some sort of compensation for sending you back through time." Lucy's eyes widened. He knew about that? And he knew who sent her back? Her mind spun with questions.

Gerotora cleared his throat. "So," Suddenly, the thing that Lucy had mistaken for an obi extended upwards, propelling the upper half of the toad into the air while his legs stayed on the ground. It unrolled itself like a giant scroll. Lucy gaped at the elaborate black markings that adorned the paper.

"Ya just need to get some blood on there," Gerotora motioned to a large black circle on the page that was just a little bit bigger than her outstretched hand. "And you'll get access to it. I'll have to guide you there, though."

Lucy blinked. It didn't really sound like a bad deal, since she'd finally get some answers. If she ran into trouble...well, she'd been in plenty of tight spots before. It'd be fine. They just needed some blood, huh...of course it had to be blood, how cliché.

She began riffling through her drawers and desk, searching for a needle to prick herself with. Gerotora scoffed at her, but looked over in curiosity. "Girl, what are ya doing?"

A moment passed before Lucy huffed, a few pencils wiggling in her mouth as she did so. She spat them out on her bed and continued her search, clicking her tongue. "Looking for a needle. You need my blood, right? And for your information, the name is _Lucy_."

The toad sighed in exasperation. "Just bite your thumb and smudge in on here, girl. Easy as worm soup." Lucy's eye twitched at the way he completely ignored the use of her name. Also, worm soup? Gross. Must be a toad thing.

Lucy frowned, pouting a little. "But my teeth aren't sharp enough..." Gerotora snorted at that. "If you humans can bite your pinky fingers off, then you can draw blood from your thumb. Get on with it."

 _Rude._

She inspected her thumb, biting her lip. This was weird. She'd suffered way worse wounds than this. Was she chickening out? How uncool.

 _Pull a Natsu! Pull a Natsu!_

Then her eyes hardened. This was her new motto! She gritted her teeth and stuck her thumb in between, pinching a small patch of skin. With a quick bite, it was over. A pinprick of pain was all she felt, but Lucy was already wiping the drops of crimson liquid onto the scroll.

"Now, keep your whole palm on there, and the seal will work." Gerotora instructed, looking bored. Lucy complied, and watched with fascination as a line of the black markings began to move towards her hand. They slid onto her skin and under her sleeve, with nothing more than a drip of faint coolness.

There was a sharp beam of pain that flashed through her arm, but it stopped as suddenly as it came. Wincing, Lucy pulled up her sleeve, only to gasp slightly in shock when she saw the ring of black marks painted on her left bicep. She admired the elegance of the strokes, but her scrutiny was cut short when Gerotora poked her on the knee.

"Come on. Let me show you the place, then I can leave." He grumbled. Lucy muttered under her breath, but choked when the toad hopped out the window and into the street.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

* * *

Gerotora led the way out of town. Passersby stopped to stare as they saw Lucy of Fairy Tail chasing a toad (and screaming bloody murder, but hey, that wasn't important) but it was actually quite an ordinary event compared to others that had occurred. They made their way into the forest and after about fifteen minutes of walking (and slight bickering), stopped at a clearing.

There was a massive cliff face in front of them, smooth and grey. Shrubbery dotted it and outlined the top which was far above. The cerulean waters of Lake Sciliora lapped right beside them, frighteningly close. Lucy wondered if the area would flood if there was a storm.

Gerotora poked her again. "Slap some blood on the stone." He nodded to the cliff. Lucy shrugged and pinched her thumb, reopening the small cut, before placing her palm on the cool rock.

Seal markings spread from the point of contact, appearing as if by an artist's hand. They ran along the whole cliff, all the way to the top. Lucy watching in fascination as they began glowing softly, before they flashed like bright suns, and -

Lucy found herself on the other side of the cliff, inside a hollow cave. She barely had time to unfreeze before a sickening feeling tossed itself inside her stomach, causing her to slump onto the wall. There was literally a ship sailing around in her belly, being shot by canons from multiple sides. She groaned as the deck splintered and the mast snapped.

Then it sank. Lucy felt like she was about to spew. She coughed and spluttered but after a few painful moments, the feeling subsided, and she sat against the cave wall, panting.

She stood up slowly, trying not to aggravate her stomach, but thankfully nothing happened. Looking around, what she saw made her toes curl in excitement. She didn't even notice a certain toad's absence.

The cave was huge, at least fifteen metres high, lit by dozens of lanterns strung on the rocky ceiling. Lucy stood in the main chamber of sorts, and from there she could see at least two more doorways (if they could even be called that). The chamber had bookcases carved into the walls, but instead of books, they held labeled scrolls of all shapes and sizes. They were divided under three sections,"Basics", "Intermediate", and "Advanced". There was also a cozy-looking puffy red velvet armchair in the middle, as well as a varnished wooden coffee table in front of it. There was a large scroll sitting on the table. A white rug lay underneath the ensemble, made of something that Lucy couldn't recognise. Last but not least, there was a stone fireplace set into the centre wall, already crackling with steady, warm flames.

This was a booklovers dream, Lucy mused, approaching the scroll on the table. Now if only there was a kitchen...

Lucy laughed to herself as she unrolled the scroll. She'd have to thank whoever made this. Well, assuming it was for her, anyway.

The scroll lay in front of her, fully opened, with that black circle just waiting for her blood. Lucy sighed, and scraped her finger on it.

The next second, she had jumped back and screamed, whip out and keys ready. And her reaction was totally justified, since where that goddamned black circle had been, was now the translucent holographic image of a man.

"Hey, now. I'm sorry for scaring you!" He raised his arms in surrender and an apologetic expression spread on his face, amplified by his sincere blue eyes. Lucy lowered her whip slightly, her breathing hard and annoyed. She was _sick_ of things popping out of nowhere. Seriously, couldn't a girl get some warning?

The man was fairly tall, with yellow-blonde hair like Lucy's own, but it was also spiky. It was pretty long, she noticed, down to his shoulders, with wild strands on either side of his face. There was some sort of metal-and-cloth headband thing that protected his forehead, and he wore a white cloak with red flames at the bottom.

He studied her for a moment as well, before smiling and reaching out his hand. "I'm Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage. Nice to meet you - uh...wait sorry." He retracted his hand awkwardly, as if just noticing that he was less-than-solid (that was one way of putting it).

"Um, well, if you could just carry this scroll to the back room and I'll explain everything?" Minato spoke like he was a nervous, wet-behind-the-ears rookie, Lucy thought as she obliged.

"Which room do I go into?" She asked quietly, glancing at the two doorways. Minato shrugged, looking away. "Any. They both connect in the back one."

Lucy maneuvered the scroll through the left room. It was about half the size of the main chamber, but other than that, almost a replica. The furnishings were different, but that was it. After they got through that they came to the last room.

It was the exact same size as the main chamber, but almost completely bare aside from the racks of weapons and equipment at the back. The floor was also practically a huge seal, with so many symbols and swirls that it was a little dizzying to look at. There was one small doorway off to the side, smaller than the others so that Lucy almost didn't notice it. She wondered what it was.

"Whoa..." Lucy marvelled as she set the scroll down, looking around. It was like a secret training area! It was amazing!

"Do you like my work?" Minato asked. Lucy turned to him and squeaked; he was no longer see-through, but had a full, corporeal form. Her mind heading back to the question, she nodded quickly.

Minato grinned and sat on the seal-covered floor. Lucy followed his example, carefully lowering herself down. "I guess I should start explaining, huh?" Lucy smiled back at him. "Yeah." There was a warm feeling in her chest, the long-forgotten feeling that she used to have with her father before her mother died. It kind of freaked her out that she felt it with this Minato guy, but it was nice having that warmth there after so long.

"Do you like stories?" Lucy nodded slowly, a little perplexed as to why he would ask something like that.

"Alright then, I'll start from the beginning."


	3. Chapter 3

**I cannot even believe my update speed. This is the power of follows, guys! Now if there were _reviews..._**

 **Thanks to Owari1No1Mages for being my only reviewer...=='**

 **Shoutouts to Court818, Crocodylus, Den. Marie31, IrrelevantGirlie, NightVVingz, Owari1No1Mages, VvnDaLu, animegeek27, clitastrophe, and thegirlunseen for following.**

 **Love you all!**

 **P.S _Who are your favourite and least favourite FEMALE characters in Naruto AND Fairy Tail?_**

"Long ago, in what you now call Magnolia, there was a place called Konohagakure no Sato - the village hidden in the leaves. It was the shinobi village of the Land of Fire."

"Shin-obi?" Lucy asked, confused. The word tasted foreign on her tongue, though it spilled easily from her lips.

"Ninja." Minato explained shortly, bobbing his head slightly. She nodded, but she wondered how something like ninja had actually existed. They seemed too legendary to be real. Or maybe it was the bad image she got from always being with Natsu and his 'nin-nin' ways.

"There were five main hidden villages of the five elemental nations. Their ruling system was made up of the strongest, wisest ninja in the village - the Kage - and their country's daimyo. In Konoha, there had already been three Hokages. I was the fourth, the Yondaime."

Minato added the last part with no small amount of pride, unconsciously fingering his unusual white and red cloak as he did so. Lucy guessed it had something to do with his position."Fire shadow, right? So, 'Kage' is like a rank?" Lucy asked curiously. She had an vague image of the Ten Wizard Saints in her mind.

"Yeah." The other blond nodded. "There are various ninja ranks, and 'Kage' is the highest. We'll get to them later."

"Anyway, so I became Hokage. I got married a bit before that, I think." Lucy gaped at him, aghast. "What do you mean, 'I think'? How can you not remember when you got married?" What would his wife think of him? Minato scratched his neck, looking a little apologetic. "Well, it's just that I'm dead, you know, so these memories aren't really working that well." He chuckled slightly, pointing to his head.

Lucy was completely speechless and frozen. Her eye twitched madly. "Wait a second! You're _dead_?!" She screeched, grabbing the poor man by the shoulders and shaking him. She stared at him like she'd seen a ghost. This guy was dead. That was a big deal! (Well, not really, since she'd talked to dead dragons and - oh whatever. She digresses again.) "I'm talking to a dead person?!"

Minato coughed and spluttered at her shaking and she quickly released him, muttering a quiet apology. "It's fine. Sorry for not telling you." After a moment of awkward silence, she beckoned for him to continue.

"So I got married to a woman named Uzumaki Kushina." Cue absent look and slight blush. Lucy almost smirked at Minato's quaint little schoolgirl-to-senpai face.

"I met her when I was in the Academy - it's like a school where kids learn the textbook basics of being a ninja. When I was that age, there was a war going on, you know. It ended just before I became Hokage. Kushina came to Konoha as a refuge then from the village of Uzushiogakure in the Land of Whirlpools. Her village was destroyed because the main clan there, the Uzumaki, were so renowned as fuuinjutsu masters that they were deemed a threat in the war."

"That's terrible!" Lucy gasped, all amusement gone. Minato's eyes darkened as he nodded slowly. She noticed his fist clenching and teeth gritting just slightly. "I know. But that's war, I guess. Their village was pretty neutral up until they were attacked, aside from distant blood ties to another clan in Konoha."

Lucy then viewed the man with more respect, in a new light. He had been through _war_ (She had been through it too, but she had a feeling that it probably was nothing compared to his) and it had lasted for a very long time, as Minato looked to be in his early twenties or so. Lucy could tell - or sense, rather - that he was a fairly battle-hardened man, no matter how happily he laughed.

"Um," She started sheepishly, biting her lip as she tried not to ruin the serious atmosphere. "Could you explain how I got here? I mean as in back in time?"

"Sure." Minato was cut from his reminiscing as his eyes lightened. Lucy's stomach fluttered with excitement. She was finally getting some answers!

"Well, Kushina taught me all about her clan's sealing jutsus. It took me a long time to master them, but I did, and began experimenting with seals. Fuuinjutsu is one of the most unappreciated branches of the shinobi arts, since it requires so much precision and care. But once you get the hang of it you can do almost anything, as long as you're careful.

I wanted to see if I could change time; I'd already created a jutsu that let me disappear and reappear at will, so space was already conquered. I used a blood seal, so the person affected would be a descendent or distant relative of mine. Then I sent Gerotora into the future to guide you here. You were my guinea pig, basically. Sorry about that. That's why I prepared this cave for you, to try and compensate for it."

He smiled ruefully (it was a little strained), but Lucy's mind had stopped in the middle of his explanation.

 _...the person affected would be a descendent or distant relative of mine._

"AAAAH? REALLY?" Lucy leapt from the floor and stared, wide-eyed, at Minato. The poor man looked so confused at her sudden outburst. "Uh, what?"

"The part where you said that you used a blood seal! I'm related to you?!" Lucy was so shocked. It was kind of cool, being related - however distantly - to an awesome super ninja Hokage, but Minato didn't realise how excited she was. He shuffled back a little nervously and answered. "Yes, well, I guess so. I mean, it was a blood seal, and we do look kind of similar."

Lucy grinned at him with a tinge of smugness. "Alright then. Anyway, I've forgotten to thank you for everything. Sending me back, and giving me this little place." Minato looked surprised as his eyes widened a fraction. "Really? You don't mind?"

"Nah," Lucy shrugged carelessly. She trusted Minato, funnily enough. When he wasn't acting all awkward and nervous he radiated power and confidence. The strengths of a leader; no wonder he'd been Hokage. "It's a good chance to change some things and make sure everyone gets the ending they deserve." (It was also hard playing it cool and making it look like she actually had a plan).

The older man's eyes softened as he looked at her, before beaming and ruffling her hair. It was such a fatherly action that Lucy almost froze, being a complete stranger to these expressions. But then that warmth came again, and she leaned into his large hand, smiling. "You seem like a very thoughtful girl, uh..." He trailed off awkwardly.

"Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia." She offered her hand and he took it. "...Lucy." Minato said it slowly, as if listening to the sound of each syllable. "A wonderful name."

"So, Heartfilia-san." Minato suddenly sounded very businesslike, although there was the unmistakable gleam of playfulness in his eyes.

"How would you like to be trained in the shinobi arts by the Yondaime Hokage?"


	4. Chapter 4

_**Reviews.**_

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 _ **Are my lifeblood. My food. My only means of survival. So please, if you pity this poor author who will never own, review! Oh yeah, the beginning is also partly from Narutopedia. I don't own that either.**_

* * *

 _Chakra is a form of life energy that all living beings produce. In the shinobi world, it is used to perform ninjutsu (ninja techniques) or genjutsu (illusionary techniques). Chakra circulates inside the body through the keirakukei (chakra pathway system) much like blood vessels, as they surround and connect the organs. It can be expelled outside of the body from the three hundred and sixty-one small nodes called tenketsu (chakra points) distributed throughout the pathway.  
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 _Chakra is made up of two components; physical energy and spiritual energy. Physical energy is collected through all the individual cells in the body and can be increased through training, stimulants, and exercise. Spiritual energy is derived from the mind's consciousness and can be increased through studying, mediation, and experience. These two energies becoming more powerful will in turn make the created chakra more powerful._

"Amazing..." Lucy breathed as she looked through the first scroll, the tip of a finger underlining the words as she read. Shinobi were definitely legendary, she thought in awe as she continued to read. Lucy was sprawled on the large red armchair and starting with her textbook ninja knowledge. Well, it wasn't really a 'textbook', more like scroll...text?

Minato - or, Minato-sensei now, she corrected herself - floated behind the chair, back in his ghostly form. He explained things in more detail when Lucy got confused, and she found the way he talked extremely easy to comprehend. The blonde girl was also the epitome of a perfect student, listening attentively to all he said and soaking up the information like a sponge. As she asked question after question, Lucy marvelled at the way that Minato-sensei gave complex answers with such ease, flowing into the rhythm that she had set. They both had very similar thoughts. Must be a family thing.

Finally, after about an hour, their little impromptu lesson/analysis of basic shinobi knowledge was finished. Lucy stood up and stretched, sighing in pleasure as she felt her muscles contract and then relax. She replaced the scroll on the shelf and made her way to the kitchen to grab some water. It had turned out that the smallest room at the back of the cave was home to a country-style wooden kitchen with another two expanded rooms beside it. One was a bathroom and the other was some sort of target storeroom.

It was a holed-up introvert's dream, Lucy thought again as she grabbed a glass and filled it at the tap. In truth, it was a perfect, secluded little underground study and training area. Perfect in every conceivable way. She drained her water, the cool liquid refreshing her body after an hour of - well...lectures. Ninja lectures.

Cracking a pleased grin, Lucy made her way back to Minato's scroll which lay on the ground near her chair. He turned and quirked an eyebrow at her expression, before shrugging in what seemed like defeat.

"Can you lug me to the training room? I want to teach you... something." Minato asked slowly. It was more of a request than a question, as he knew that she wouldn't refuse him. Lucy's smile widened. She was going to get practical! Silently, the girl vowed to do her best.

At her reaction, her sensei smiled and nodded cheerfully, eyes crinkling. "Keep smiling like that." He ordered as she picked his scroll up and started walking. Lucy turned to him, confusion making its way onto her face. "Why?" Her stomach dropped into her feet as a slightly predatory gleam graced Minato's blue eyes. She had a feeling that her next 'lesson' was going to be dangerous.

"Cause after we start, you won't be smiling for quite a while."

* * *

As it turns out, it wasn't dangerous. Nah. Not at _all_.

It was downright freakin' terrifying.

Minato-sensei had returned to his solid body after Lucy entered the room. He'd walked over to the massive rack of weapons, snatched a single shuriken, and then whipped around and threw it at poor Lucy. She, of course, had asked (shrieked) why he would do such a thing. The blond man calmly replied that, "It's best to learn how to dodge before starting on weapons." because even unarmed, if you could dodge, then you survived.

In Lucy's opinion, that was complete excrement...but no one asked for her opinion before Minato started hurling the rack at her.

Literally, everything went flying. He even dared to quiz her on the things she'd read in the past hour.

The _audacity_!

The poor celestial mage wondered what she'd gotten herself into and if she would survive. Hopefully.

Her thought process went something like this...

 _Two daggers from right...go left! No! Wait! Sword coming from high left.._ "We all have chakra!".. _spin! Duck! Spear, knife.._ "Physical and spiritual energy!".. _Oh my Mavis is that a goddamned rain of bull crap_.."Ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu!".. _Wait, no those are kunai! Down, down, go down!._."Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash!".. _Nets coming from low! Must...jump...high...SUCCESS! OUCH! Did he just.._ "Right now I'm an Academeh - ow! - student!" .. _he just nicked me..hell no...argh don't get distracted! Left! Down! Prove to him how good of a ninja you can b- "BLOODY SON OF A BULL'S BEHIND YOU ARE DEAD IF I SURVIVE THIS, NAMIKA- OW!"_

Bear in mind that some of the words are changed from their original counterparts as not to offend readers.

Anyway, so this cruel form of weapon-familiarising continued for about nearly thirty minutes. Lucy was on the floor by then, panting and sweating and just not looking good. She was covered in small nicks and scratches, but nothing too serious. Her sensei wasn't the Yondaime for nothing, after all. Minato had stopped as he thought she looked pitiful, and if he had continued otherwise, severed limbs would've gone flying.

"You really need to build up your stamina." Her sensei frowned thoughtfully down at her as Lucy attempted to sit up and escape her pathetic state. She gasped as a spike of pain shot through her chest and she leaned back, trying to breath normally. She was too tired to reply. Lucy wasn't used to dodging for this long. Normally, Natsu would bust the enemy's asses before they could get a good hit, but Natsu wasn't here now. And it wasn't like she'd ever consider Minato-sensei her enemy.

"Your spiritual energy is fine, in fact, I think it's better than average, but your physical energy..." Minato scratched his head, fiddling with the knot of his forehead protector. He suddenly brightened a little, reaching down to help Lucy up. She sagged into his arms with a groan as he gently propped her against the wall. "Just come back tomorrow, and I'll figure out something by then, alright?"

Lucy gave a small nod as she was dismissed, staggering slightly to the exit of the cave. After a moment of thought, she bit her thumb and smudged her blood onto the stone. She only had a split-second to admire the bright fuuinjutsu marks before she was outside, clutching at her stomach again.

 _This must be the space appearing-and-disappearing jutsu that sensei mentioned._

Lucy thought queasily, trying to keep her lunch down. She was still breathing fairly hard from her exercise, so she leaned against the wall until the world stopped threatening to spin. Brushing her hair back and wiping the quickly-drying sweat from her face, Lucy realised that it was now just at the end of sunset. The dying streaks of light bloodied the sky as she sighed. With careful steps, she trekked home.

* * *

Two days after that, Michelle finally arrived.

Lucy and the rest of Team Natsu had been gathered in the guildhall, when Natsu sniffed the air, nose crinkling. She noticed and was about to ask about it when the doors opened and she turned, a little miffed at the interruption. Her breath caught when she spotted dark blonde hair and a flash of pink and white.

The world ground to a halt as she stared at Michelle.

Without thinking, Lucy dashed to the doors and launched herself at Michelle, wrapping her in a tight hug. She sighed softly as she realised her mistake, but she couldn't have controlled herself. Lucy had missed her immensely, as both her precious doll and her beautiful friend. The other girl was extraordinarily tense, though. Before she could think it through, Lucy nervously murmured a quiet, "Imitatia?" while giving her a squeeze. She felt Michelle relax as she shook her head. Something wet dripped onto her shoulder as she pulled back.

Lucy turned to the guild, most of which were looking at her with fairly shell-shocked expressions. She smiled sheepishly as she introduced Michelle, feeling extremely awkward. She'd kind of done this before, after all; it felt like she was acting. "Everyone, this is my dear sister, Michelle Lobster."

Silence. You could almost here a pin drop.

"Hey Lu-shee, are you sure that your dad didn't have an illegitimate daughter?" That damn cat had to ruin it. Lucy didn't even know how he knew such words.

The guild burst into raucous laughter while Michelle stood behind Lucy, embarrassed. She sighed and flicked the blue Exceed on the head. "No. She's a...distant relative. Anyway, she'll be staying with me while she's here." At this, Lucy froze her best friend and partner with a cold glare. "Natsu, if you break in I will _end_ you."

With that, Lucy spun on her heel and ushered Michelle out of the guild, leaving a trembling Natsu and Happy in her wake. The dragonslayer jerkily turned to his companion, ignoring the redhead and ice mage beside them.

"H-Hey Happy..." Natsu stuttered, eyes wide.

"A-Aye?" Happy was shaking more than him. The blue Exceed looked like his magic power had been drained.

"D-Don't you think that L-Lucy is extra scary today?" The question was innocent, but then again, Natsu had no way of knowing that she was one year more mature and more experienced at death glares.

"Aye s-sir!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Nee-san, do you really remember me?"

Lucy turned and smiled kindly at the girl. Internally, she sighed. These experiences were bad for her heart. "Of course I do. You were my best friend when I lived at the estate." Michelle nodded slowly, bashfully looking down at her clasped hands. Lucy went back to making tea.

"Ah...did you travel through time as well?"

Lucy dropped her cup.

"...Could you say that again?" Her voice shook, however much she willed it not too. Her hands trembled, suddenly damp with cold sweat.

Lucy felt a hand on her shoulder. She was slowly turned around by her 'sister', unresisting and limp. Michelle looked at her with a gleam of hope in her eyes and a pleading expression.

"Nee-san, I woke up at home again after Midnight - after I got turned back. I was in the attic, and he came and offered me my body again. I know what is going to happen. I'm from the future." Michelle said it all in a huge, rushed breath.

Lucy stared at her, tears forming in her eyes. This was her Michelle, the one who'd helped her destroy the Infinity Castle. It wasn't the Michelle who was manipulated by Midnight, planning to hurt her friends. Lucy didn't know how it had happened - maybe because Michelle technically wasn't alive - but she'd time traveled as well. Lucy's lip trembled, joy and excitement rolling inside her like waves as she hugged her dear little sister close.

"I know..." Michelle sobbed openly into Lucy's shoulder while the other girl cried silently, eyes glazed but wide open. They held each other for a few moments, cherishing their company.

"L-Lucy, thank you."

"Thank me? Why?"

Michelle pulled back from her and tearfully smiled. It seemed incredibly sad yet happy at the same time.

"Because you saved me...and you'll save me again."

Lucy felt a flare of happiness from her first sentence, but as the second part sunk in, a chill's freezing fingers stroked her spine. Her eyes widened in horror.

"Michelle, you - !" The girl cut her off with a soft smile.

"It's alright, nee-san. It was my choice to come back, and anyway," She shrugged, looking away. "I wanted to see you again."

"But -"

"No. We won't argue about this, alright, nee-san? I'm here, and that's all that matters. You can't change that. The only thing that we can change now is the future. Okay?" Michelle had a steely glint in her eye, but Lucy knew that the decision had hurt the girl as much as it hurt Lucy herself.

Biting her lip, the celestial mage nodded. Michelle clapped her hands together, beamed, and dragged her to sit on the couch.

"Let's get planning!"

* * *

"We gotta make sure that no one else gets the parts..can't we just lay low?"

"Nee-san, Mary-Hughes, Coco, and Sugarboy will come for you anyway, you know..."

"Can't we just defeat them before anyone in the guild notices? They don't really need to get involved, do they?"

"I'm sure that Zentopia will be able to collect the rest of the parts anyway. You know, we could just let it play through like last ti-"

"But last time I was useless, remember Michelle! Mary-Hughes got the piece and I ended up stuck in the clock! I want to test out my new skills!"

"Look, nee-san, I know you want to go all ninja, but you can do that while you're defeating them! While we're collecting the clock, we can be partners, alright? Just let it play out until then, and we might be able to find a way for me to stay!"

"...that's...actually a pretty good idea..."

"Honestly, nee-san..."

* * *

"Henge!"

Holding her fingers in the ram seal, a puff of smoke surrounded Lucy as she closed her eyes. When it dissipated, a perfect copy of Minato-sensei stood. Lucy beamed as she saw her transformation (it looked really feminine on Yondaime-sama's face, though) and high-fived the true Minato standing before her.

"Congratulations, Lucy! You're now officially a genin!"

The blond man watched with a small smile as Lucy jumped around, cheering at her graduation energetically. While she was occupied, he walked towards the beginning of the "Basics" shelf and slid a wooden box off it. Turning back to the girl, he handed it to her. She held it gingerly with a quizzical expression. "Open it."

Setting in on the table, Lucy flipped open the silver clasp, lifting the lid with a creak. She gasped when she saw the contents, a hand flying up to cover her mouth.

Inside the box, nestled on thick padding, was a hitai-ate of Konoha, just like Minato's. The cloth was a navy blue and the metal plate - although slightly dusty - shone in the light with the symbol of the leaf. Lucy was alight with excitement. She grinned and trembled a little, before spinning around and throwing her arms around her sensei, squeezing him to death.

Minato practically choked in her grip before he got a hold of air again and patted the girl on the back. After a few moments, he couldn't stand it anymore.

"H-Hey Lucy, can you release me?..I'm kind of choking." He croaked desperately. She immediately jumped off him. Minato sighed, rubbing his chest. Ah, the disadvantages of having a living body.

When he looked at her again, Lucy was admiring the forehead protector in her hands. Suddenly, she turned to him, as if struck by as thought. "I don't have to wear this on my _forehead_ , do I?" She asked curiously.

Minato shook his head, shrugging. "You can wear in however you like; on your arm, waist, leg...anywhere really."

"Hm..." Lucy frowned as she scrutinised herself, trying to decide where to tie it. Suddenly, she flushed red, before slowly asking a question. "Minato-sensei, my clothes really aren't suitable for a kunoichi, aren't they?"

Her sensei burst out laughing. "I'm surprised you just noticed!" The blond exclaimed good-naturedly. Lucy pouted and huffed. "So, what sort of clothes do ninja usually wear, then?"

"Um, well, a flak ja- oh wait, you don't have those anymore...some sort of padding or armour that wraps your around your torso, I guess. Mesh underclothing as well...Also something that covers more skin then what you're currently wearing. Yeah. That's about it." Minato scratched his head, trying to think of more while Lucy processed this information.

With a firm nod, her mind was set. "Alright. I'm going shopping. See you later, Minato-sensei!"

* * *

 **PS. What do you guys think that Lucy's chakra nature/s should be?**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own.**

 **Thanks for all followers, favourites, and reviews. Love you!**

 **To** **Kyrianae Narii: You are a genius. I don't think that you're making Lucy overpowered at all! Thanks for the suggestion! By the way, what makes you think I'm gonna save Michelle? I might just kill her off and leave all of you with broken hearts and feels that cannot be mended! Mwah ha ha! No really, I might do that. Maybe I should.**

 **Perhaps I can be persuaded not to if...reviews...**

* * *

Lucy returned sometime after (three hours, in fact, the sun had almost set) with a bundle of shopping bags. Without a word to her sensei, she headed to the bathroom to change. Minato raised an eyebrow at her but decided not to comment. She was probably excited for a wardrobe change, he guessed.

Meanwhile, Lucy was changing. The main piece that she'd bought was a chest protector, sort of like a mune-ate. The navy plastic covered her chest and also curved onto her back, with the two pieces clipping together under her left arm. It was extremely comfortable, moulding into her shape seamlessly like it'd been made for her.

Underneath that, she wore a white kimono top, lined with a soft gold - like Natsu's vest, actually, but with significant differences. It was loose but not too flappy - especially at the wrists - practical for throwing kunai and shuriken. Lucy kept her belt with her keys, whip, and weapons pouches, but underneath she wore a pair of navy and gold-lined shorts instead of her skirt. She also wore mesh leggings and her brown boots.

Lucy smiled at her reflection, before pulling out one last accessory. The fingerless dark blue gloves fit snugly around her hands; she'd taken a great liking to them over the past year. They were fabulous, easy to maneuver her fingers in and not too thick as to restrict her movement.

And they looked really, really cool. That was also a bonus.

She walked out of the bathroom and showed her outfit to her sensei, striking a few poses for good measure. He smiled at her and applauded at her choice - her chest protector especially - before leading her to the training room.

"Let's try that out, shall we?"

* * *

Team Natsu had just returned from a mission when three figures were spotted outside the guild. As soon as Lucy heard the news, her stomach dropped - she now had to play the part of damsel-in-distress even though she could nearly water walk. She shot a quick look at Michelle, who raised a delicate eyebrow at her, daring her to contradict their plan.

 _What a pain..._

With a long-suffering sigh, she dragged her feet out with her team to investigate.

Lucy walked out just in time to hear a slightly familiar voice declaring, "I only have like, one demand: that you hand over Lucy Heartifilia to me!" She surveyed Mary-Hughes, Coco, and Sugarboy. The former two looked as high and mighty as usual, while the latter was undoubtably fawning over himself internally. Huh. They were exactly as she remembered.

"Give...to you?" Michelle muttered, playing her part perfectly. Lucy groaned softly. If her sister expected her acting to be that good, she was in for a huge disappointment.

"Wah! I've never seen a real-life proposal before!" Happy exclaimed, eyes wide. That damn cat. Lucy's eyebrow twitched and she took back her previous thoughts. When it came to the flying blue devil, she could definitely play the part, along with the physical aspects.

"It's not like that!" She and Mary-Hughes yelled in sync. However, the other woman quickly brushed it off and returned to the topic at hand.

"Anyway, it no use hiding from us. Like, we all know that Lucy Heartfilia belongs to this guild!" Mary-Hughes sneered.

Levy leaned towards Lucy and quietly asked if she knew why the trio was after her. Thinking quickly, the blonde shrugged and answered,"I don't know, but I guess they might be after this," she indicated the box that contained the her father's clock piece. Lucy'd already explained to her guildmates what it was beforehand so Levy nodded in understanding before facing the trio again.

Lucy zoned out after that, only coming back to her senses when Sugarboy started singing. Dear Mavis, her ears bled as the green slime enveloped some of her guild mates. She had to stop this before she passed out. This was the second time in her life she had to listen to this! No one, not even Zeref, should have to endure this! Hopefully, Michelle wouldn't get mad at her. Anyway, she knew what would happen in the future, so...there wasn't much of a risk to take.

"Hey! I'm Lucy Heartfilia!" Lucy yelled towards Sugarboy, waving the brown box around to get his attention. The trio turned and saw her, with Mary-Hughes raising an arrowhead eyebrow.

"What the hell are you doin', Luce!?" Natsu growled from his place behind her, heat beginning to emanate from his person. Lucy turned to him, smiling. "Don't worry," she whispered, "I just want to know why they're after me." The dragonslayer growled some more, but otherwise remained in his position. She faced the trio again, satisfied with her act.

"Spicy!" Sugarboy declared, strolling towards her. His disgusting green slime receded back into his clothes as Lucy cringed. She also heard a mutter from Mary-Hughes, "What a ditz..." The celestial mage began seething silently. That was just rude!

"What do you want?" Lucy prodded. Her tone of voice was also a little rude, but honestly, she couldn't help it. These three had decided to disrespect her family. And Mary-Hughes had called her a ditz for the second time.

"You seen a metal rod around? Like, inscripted, looks like a clock hand...it's actually about the same length as that..." Mary-Hughes pointed at the brown case that Lucy was carrying. The blonde tensed, but the older woman noticed. "Hand it over." She stated coldly, taking a threatening step forward.

Leaping backwards, Lucy grabbed Michelle's hand and began running into the trees. "I'll be back, everyone!" She yelled as the the enemy gave chase. With an apologetic smile at her guildmates' shocked faces, she disappeared into the forest.

* * *

Lucy panted for breath as she dropped behind a tree, Michelle beside her. "W-What were you thinking?" Her sister stuttered, leaning backwards against the tree. "I was embracing my adventurousness?" Lucy muttered back, taking the chance to pull out Virgo's key.

"Open! Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!"

In a flash of golden light, the pink-haired spirit stood in front of them. She blinked owlishly at them before bowing. "Princess. Michelle-san. Is it time for punishment?"

Lucy smiled. "Good to see you too, Virgo. Now - wait, how did you know who Michelle is?"

Her spirit blinked again before answering, a hint of bemusement in her voice. "I believe she tried to use you to power the Infinity Castle some time ago, Princess?"

Lucy's mouth dropped open, shock numbing her body. "What?" She gasped, the air momentarily leaving her lungs. When she'd gotten to this time, Lucy had automatically assumed that her spirits would be of this time as well, not of her own time. This meant that Virgo was - Virgo was from her time!

"Virgo!" She cried, wrapping her arms around her beloved spirit. Her heart was pounding, thoughts and plans forming in her head. With her spirits as they were, that meant she could use Star Dress! That was her main attack these days, anyway. She no longer had to rely on her limited jutsu repetoire (even though Minato-sensei had said that her reserves were huge - courtesy of the Uzumaki blood that ran through her veins) and summoning her spirits alone.

"Princess?" Virgo murmured, gently patting her back. Lucy looked up at her and asked, "Do you know what happened?" The pink-haired maid nodded and replied, "In a way, Princess. We felt the disturbance of time in our world but nothing else," She glanced at Michelle, who stood silently beside Lucy, "I guess that you have time traveled?"

Lucy grinned in confirmation, but her next words were interrupted by twigs cracking and muttered curses. Her grin dropped slightly.

"Where is that damn girl? Like, she can't hide for much longer!"

"That's... _spicy_!"

Lucy gulped as she released Virgo from her grip. "Alright, we can talk about this later. Virgo, if you could please tunnel us away?"

"Of course, Princess."

The next second, all three of them were underground and drilling through at breathtaking speeds. Nothing but darkness could be seen, and the smell of fresh soil assaulted Lucy's nose. The ride was completely smooth as the tunnel was wider than their single file line. The earth parted before them.

After a few minutes, Virgo began to slow down. "Princess, is this far enough? Or should I be pu - " Lucy was quick to cut her off, sweatdropping.

"That's fine. Just take us up, please." Immediately, they shot to the surface, bursting out of the ground in a fountain of leaves and dirt. Gasping a little, Lucy helped Michelle up and left Virgo with a promise to greet her other spirits. Panting, they took time to recover.

"Hey Michelle?"

"Yes, nee-san?"

"Can you still fight as Imitatia?" The subject was still a bit touchy, but there was no time to worry about that now.

"...yes. I can protect you if it comes to that."

"Alright." Lucy sighed, brushing off her hands when she heard the telltale sound of rampaging as Coco neared them. Her magic was...troublesome, to say the least. Speed - Minato-sensei had taught her - was an _extremely_ valuable asset. He'd demonstrated with the Hiraishin, flickering back and forth in her vision so much that she had gotten dizzy.

"You wanna fight them?" A glimmer appeared in her eyes. She wanted to see if her new skills would be of use in a fight. And Star Dress. Lucy'd be screwed without Star Dress. Well, last time she was, anyway.

Michelle blew out a long breath, shaking her head with a rueful smile as she stood beside Lucy. "I swear, that boy - Natsu-san - is rubbing off you more than I thought..." She muttered as her body was enveloped in a flash of violet light that momentarily blinded the blonde. As it faded, Michelle was revealed in her Imitatia form, along with her rose shield and sword. Lucy took the time to quickly admire how battle-ready she looked, compared to her attire seconds prior.

Just in time, in fact, for Coco to come skidding in front of them, shredding the undergrowth of the forest. The sounds of Mary-Hughes and Sugarboy were not far behind. Lucy prepared herself with a glance at her sister, pulling out her whip and moulding a generous amount of chakra.

"Let's go, Michelle!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Guys, I really need help with writing fight scenes. I just can't feel the heat! Tips and tricks, fellow authors?**

 **Thanks for everything, guys!**

"Earth Wave!"

Lucy exclaimed, her whip smashing into the ground and upturning it. Coco yelped while performing a backflip to the side, escaping the destruction. She flew sideways into the air with perfect form. It _would_ have been a flawless escape if she hadn't knocked into Mary-Hughes, who'd been attempting her magic. The pair crashed into the ground, groaning comically.

Michelle swung her rose sword at Sugarboy, the sharp edge easily slicing through his slime but stopping at his microphone. The man gasped dramatically as the green phlegm splattered onto the ground, and pushed his microphone harder against the sword. Unfortunately for him, he was no match against Michelle. With an almighty crack, the staff split in two and Sugarboy barely just missed the glorious feeling of decapitation.

The trio backed away. It was obvious that the quick fight was out of their league, as they were covered in carefully placed nicks and scratches. Lucy smirked internally. She knew that the three had come expecting Lucy Heartfilia to been a pampered, weak mage, and in a way, that had once been true. But not now. Her abilities back then were almost laughable compared to her current ones.

Michelle was also definitely another factor that they hadn't considered. The girl moved with an inhuman grace, her sword flashing and her shield spinning. The pair worked perfectly as a tag team. They were both careful not to land serious blows, though.

"Ready to give up yet?" Michelle asked softly, no hint of mocking in her voice. The thorns and vines of Imitatia writhed around her form as she advanced beside her sister.

Mary-Hughes panted hard, sweat streaking down her temple as she raised her magical wooden hand menacingly. "Like hell, brat!"

The seconds ticked by. Nothing happened.

"Eh?" The dark-haired mage exclaimed furiously, shaking the hand like it was deficient. "Oi, work dammit! What the hell?!" Lucy and Michelle attempted to muffle their giggles. The reason why Mary-Hughes' magic wasn't working was because Lucy currently had the power of a Celestial Spirit imbedded in her body, and Michelle was...well, a doll.

Mary-Hughes growled, before shoving the hand back into her belt and cracking her knuckles. "We'll just have to do this the hard way then."

Michelle gave a soft, "You wish you could..." Before leaping backwards as the mage angrily lunged at her. Coco simultaneously attacked Lucy, sweeping a magic-enforced foot out for a roundhouse kick. The blonde quickly kawarimi'd behind the girl, marvelling in delight at how the jutsu left her stomach so well-organised, unlike the Hiraishin. She attacked again with her whip, excitement singing through her veins.

Meanwhile, Sugarboy had crept up behind Lucy, discreetly aiming for the brown box in her hand. Closing his fingers around the side, he yanked hard. Lucy gasped, her whip pulling Coco towards her as she jerked. Gritting her teeth, she directed the girl to slam into Sugarboy, knocking them together. That'd been unfair! A dirty trick! He should've fought like a man!

Dear Lord, she was turning into Elfman.

Lucy slammed Coco and Sugarboy into a tree, quickly running rounds around them with her watered-down version of ninja wire. They struggled...well, they attempted to struggle until Mary-Hughes was thrown by Michelle into the same tree. Lucy repeated her previous procedure and the wire sank into the dark-haired mage's skin, drawing a thin line of red. The woman grimaced before snarling at her.

"Like, I'm totally gonna get you, little girl..." Mary-Hughes tried to lunge at her but the wire snapped her body back to the tree with a painful crack. Lucy cringed at the sound; while she had a newfound appreciation for fighting, she wasn't keen on anything remotely close to torture.

In the end, interrogation didn't get them anywhere. The pair tried the kind approach, the forgiving approach, the punk-and-badass approach, and even the punishment approach, Virgo included. None of them worked. The trio kept their mouths shut, and Lucy didn't want to hurt them.

Lucy sighed, and fingered Taurus' key before pulling it out, ready to summon. Suddenly, a hand was tapping her shoulder. She turned to Michelle who was standing behind her, shaking her head. "Do you remember the last time you summoned him?" Her sister asked.

Lucy frowned, confused as she tried to remember. Then it hit her. The last time she summoned Taurus, he was practically drooling over Mary-Hughes. Shuddering, she called on Virgo again. The maid gave her customary bow and lines before encircling their prisoners in chains and dragging them back to the guild.

Lucy and Michelle followed, with the latter returned to her usual form. "How will we explain this?" Lucy groaned suddenly, leaning on Michelle. Her sister giggled slightly, before helping her stand upright.

"Don't worry, nee-san. We can just tell them about Zentopia and the Key of the Starry Sky. It won't matter, really." Michelle reassured her, but Lucy had her doubts.

"Isn't that a little risky, though?" Michelle shrugged at the question, waving her hand dismissively. "We can always just use our knowledge to freak our enemies out. It's not like they'll ever be able to guess that we time-travelled anyway."

She seemed confident enough, but the celestial mage was still ill at ease.

"Hmm...alright..."

* * *

After deciding to make plans the next day, Lucy followed Erza's dismissal back to Minato-sensei's cave. The fight from before still had her blood pumping, and she wanted... _more_.

Well, she got more. They'd started learning more forms of hand-to-hand combat, or taijutsu.

"This is...um...the Uzumaki-Namikaze taijutsu style, yeah!" Minato-sensei pumped a fist into the air as Lucy stared at him, sweatdropping.

"Minato-sensei, you just made that up, didn't you?"

"O-of course not!" He grinned haplessly, scratching the back of his head. Lucy noted it down as a nervous tic as he continued. "Also, even if I did, that's what it essentially is. You're lucky I didn't name it the Raging Lightning God Hidden in the Swirling Whirl - "

Lucy cut him off with a long-suffering sigh. "Anyway, why do I have to learn it? I already know the Academy taijutsu style, so..."

Minato frowned, bopping her on the head lightly. "The Academy style is only a base for anything you want to expand on. Don't be lazy, Lucy." Then he snorted, covering his mouth. "Pfft! Lazy Lucy!"

The celestial mage's eye twitched violently. "Minato-sensei..." She growled.

He immediately reverted back to 'teacher-mode' although the corner of his mouth threatened to lift every few seconds.

"Anyway, show me the first Academy taijutsu kata."

The 'Uzumaki-Namikaze' style turned out to be (if described poetically) a raging lightning god hidden in the swirling whirlpool of the crackling tempest. In other words, it relied heavily on speed and multiple blows to points of the body with raw chakra instead of physical force or strength.

In terms of 'raw chakra', Lucy was...improving.

In terms of 'speed'...not so much.

As she was an Uzumaki (wow, Uzumaki Lucy sounded so wrong) it was easy to release raw chakra. The problem was controlling it. For her genin test, Minato-sensei had tweaked it so instead of a normal bunshin, she learnt kage bunshin. He promised to teach her the illusionary clone after she got more chakra control.

Therefore, the amount of chakra she released was terrifying. Although she was a girl, Lucy hadn't been trained in the shinobi arts from a young age, and had only a meagre amount of natural control. Minato-sensei was currently trying to work on that by starting with tree-walking (more like wall-walking actually, there weren't any trees inside the cave). Lucy had improved marginally, with a museum of bruises to show for her hard work. (Then again, it had only been a few hours.)

As for speed...well, Lucy was only decently fast when fuelled by adrenaline and running from giant dragons. Individual moves were obviously no match for her, but sequences just didn't come.

Nope. Nada. Zilch.

In the end, Minato-sensei had gone to the storeroom and grabbed what looked like four wristbands for her wrists and ankles. Black in colour, they turned out to be weights, getting heavier when she channeled chakra into them. Lucy thought it was a great way to train, and Minato said to just forgot about speed for now and focus on getting all the kata right. Ahahaha...no.

Lucy'd gone home after midnight, sweaty, tired, heavy, and bruised. The next day saw a significantly heavier pair of arms and legs slam into Natsu after the girl attempted to snuggle him.

The poor dragonslayer had no chance.


	8. Chapter 8

**Yo guys...I'm back and I still don't own. Uchida Akira, I've included a short omake at the bottom for you! Thank you for being a great reviewer. I'm also planning on doing the GMG, among other things...hehe.**

 **ONE QUESTION FOR YOU ALL: Do you think that Natsu counts as human when he has END sealed inside him, or is he demon through and through?**

* * *

"So, they're after Lucy, huh?..." Erza muttered, delicately spearing a portion of her cake. Said blonde sweated bullets but nodded obediently, with Michelle echoing the action beside her. "Yeah, because of the clock piece that my father left for me."

"Hm..."

"Oi, Luce, why can't we just beat them up?" Natsu asked innocently, cracking his fists. Lucy sighed, rubbing her eye as she looked almost apologetically at her best friend.

"That won't solve anything. We can either collect the clock pieces before Zentopia does, or make sure they don't get to them. If they do, well...Real Nightmare will be cast, and it won't be pretty." Lucy muttered while shivering slightly. She had thought of Midnight's reaction when she had sicked the spell on him.

Erza continued to ponder while Natsu and Gray began fighting behind her.

"Ice bastard! You pansy, get over here and fight like a man!"

"MAN!"

"Yeah, Flamebrain? You're on!"

"Ano..." Michelle said, gently tapping Erza on the shoulder. "We know where the pieces are, if that helps?"

"Of course." Erza declared, turning around with a gleaming smile. "The guild will split into five groups and search for these clock pieces."

Lucy giggled nervously. Last time, had Erza been this excited?

"So I was wondering, Erza." Lucy cleared her throat, brushing off her thoughts. "Could Michelle and I go as a pair?"

Erza frowned, seeming slightly uncomfortable. "Wouldn't you usually go with Natsu and Happy though, Lucy?" At the sound of his name, the dragonslayer ceased his fighting and turned an ear towards them. The celestial mage didn't notice.

"Uh..." Lucy's eyebrow twitched furiously as she tried to think up an excuse. Trust Erza to pick up on that! "Um, well...I think it would be better for me to try doing things without Natsu, otherwise I might rely on him too much and become a burden! Yeah! And while I do that, I can definitely get stronger!" She ended her speech with a grin and tried to lift her hands. Unfortunately, the black wristbands dragged them down but Lucy covered up her grimace. Well, she tried to, at least.

"But still - " Erza started. The knight was obviously worried for the sisters' safety.

"Please? It's alright, isn't it? I really don't want to be a dead weight to anyone. Especially our team. Please, Erza?" Lucy poured all of her sincerity in her words. In fact, she had used to think like that exactly, and she still sometimes did, but now her focus was on getting stronger and helping out more.

The redhead nodded slightly, biting her lip. "I - that's fine, Lucy. I trust you." She set her fork down, sighing. When she looked up, there was a hard gleam in her eyes.

"Now, to designate the other teams."

* * *

The ship gently swayed to and fro as Lucy sighed, relaxed. She and Michelle were sprawled on lounge chairs on deck. The sun warmed their bodies, and each girl felt like a sunbathing salamander.

"This feels better than last time..." She mumbled, staring up and the blue sky. Michelle muttered in assent beside her.

The moments passed softly. The only sound that could be heard was the wind caressing the sails.

Lucy abruptly felt a twitchy feeling, like something had sent static electricity coursing through her body. Her hair stood on end, but nothing seemed any different, except for -

Suddenly, the sky twisted into the beaming cerulean that she had seen when the Infinity Clock had exploded. Her memories shot past her eyes, jolting her unexpectedly. Panic began to seep into her veins, first at the speed of a snail...

...but then quickly accelerating into a tsunami. Michelle was here _now_ , but she would soon be gone, and why the hell wasn't she worrying more about this?!

Just as quickly as it had come, the colour shattered back into the blue of the sky.

Lucy refrained from shooting up in her seat, instead opting for deep breaths to try and cease her trembling. Her eyes were wide, brown irises flashing as they were thrown through her memories.

 _What can I do to make sure that Michelle doesn't -_

"Lucy-nee?" Michelle asked. Lucy started, surprised, but then replied.

"Yeah, Michelle?"

"What should I do when it's time for me to 'reveal' myself?"

 _Oh yeah. That._ Lucy thought. She'd almost forgotten.

"Well, I guess..." The blonde pursed her lips in thought. "We could just go with it! You can transform and I'll try my hardest to not get captured - but I know I will, since I'm probably no match for you. I really don't think that there's any way of getting out of this without me getting captured somewhere." She had been reluctant to go with this plan at first, but she could see no other way of getting out of this without seriously messing up the timeline. And excuse her, but she wanted at the most a basic knowledge of the future, thank you very much.

Michelle nodded slowly, seeming slightly reluctant.

"I mean, we can't exactly waltz up to our guildmates and tell them, "Oh, by the way, there's this new dark guild called the Reborn Oracion Seis - yes, it is the one we faced before - and they're planning to use the Infinity Clock with an agent in Zentopia to mess up the world, big time." Can we now, Michelle?"

Her sister giggled slightly. "Don't say that, Lucy-nee. I'm sure you can beat me anytime."

Lucy rolled her eyes, but smiled softly. _That wasn't the point._

"You're way too modest, Michelle."

* * *

"PICNIC!" Erza exclaimed, her face flushed with happiness and her hair flying around her shoulders. Sparkles waltzed inside her eyes, blinding her to all but the glorious setup at her knees. Two basketfuls of the most suitably prepared food for the first picnic of a lifetime - made by the redhead herself.

 _This is the life,_ she decided. _It is time to enjoy my springtime of youth..._ a great big smile stretched across her face... _with my first picnic!_

Cana, Wendy, Charle, and Romeo stared at her, struck speechless. The petite dragonslayer was the first to speak, trembling slightly.

"Ano...Erza-san, what are you doing?" She asked, eyes wide with morbid anticipation and curiosity.

"I'm having my first picnic! Come, my nakama, join me! Picnic, picnic..." The redhead sighed in absolute bliss, before taking a bite of her sandwich.

" _Ah_!" She threw her head back, eyes closed in pleasure. Her teammates watched in disbelieving silence, still dumbfounded. "What a delicious sandwich!"

"Isn't she complementing herself?" Wendy mumbled timidly, peeking at the knight from behind Romeo - who she had hidden behind after the first three seconds of watching the 'picnic'. The boy muttered in agreement as he discreetly gaped at Erza.

"O-Oi Erza, shouldn't we hurry up and find the clock piece?" Cana called, looking distinctly uncertain. Erza titled her head at the brunette, her smile completely serene as she calmly guillotined her next sandwich with gleaming teeth.

"It's only a small stop for a picnic. Have no fear, Cana, we'll definitely make it in time. In any case, let us enjoy my first picnic!" Cue the repetition.

Charle had watched all of this with nothing more than a sweatdrop, but then she couldn't hold it in anymore. "This woman _really_ needs to get her priorities straight!"

Of course, that was when the bandits arrived.

* * *

"Yo flamebrain, I bet that you're secretly happy that you didn't have to go on a boat, even if it was with Lucy."

"Mmhhmm." Natsu hummed, a finger halfway up his nose. Then he turned, his face the picture of surprise. "Huh? You say something, ice prick?"

"Oi, listen to me when I'm talking, you idiot!" Gray fumed, eyes flashing with irritation. Beside him, Juvia swooned as frosty air began to blow off his skin.

"Oh, Gray-sama is so...cold when he's angry. Juvia can't take it!" Of course, she was ignored.

"He said that you were secretly happy about not going on a boat, even with Lucy, Nat-shu." Happy relayed to the dragonslayer, flying up to nest in his spiky pink locks.

"Ice princess, I would want to go with Luce, y'know." Natsu shot Gray a dirty look, completing it by sticking out his tongue. "I'm her partner. Also, there's been something weird about her lately..."

Gray felt like his ice make just backfired on him a thousand times over, cold needles ripping through his skin. Natsu had realised that there was something different about Lucy? Gray himself hadn't felt anything wrong! It was impossible that the dense, idiotic Natsu - even if he was closest to her - of all people -

"She was really heavy this morning. Maybe she gained more weight?"

The ice-make mage crashed spectacularly into the ground, leaving Natsu to scratch his head and Juvia to swarm over the raven-haired man.

"N-Natsu...you're an idiot, you know that?"

"You wanna go, ya droopy-eyed bastard?!"

* * *

Something was wrong.

Lucy frowned as the boat began docking into the port. A feeling strayed at the back of her mind, knocking into her alarm bells.

"Michelle?" She asked, nudging her sister.

"Yes?"

"Have you seen the Archaeological Society hanging around anywhere?"

"The Archaeological So - oh!" Michelle paused, furrowing her eyebrows, before quickly scanning their surroundings. All she saw was the busy dock, the port town beyond, and the many tons of people unloading cargo from various ships. "Uh...no..."

The celestial mage began gnawing on her lip. Her eyes darted like bullets as her head swivelled back and forth. "That's weird..." She muttered softly, beginning to walk off the boat.

"But nee-san, didn't they just turn Natsu-san back to normal?" Michelle questioned with no small amount of curiosity. She stayed by Lucy's side, making sure not to lose her among the stuffy crowd.

"You see, Michelle, they also gave Erza a magical hammer that stopped our nakama from being affected by the clock." Lucy answered distractedly. "If she doesn't get that, well, everyone who tries to rescue me will be essentially walking corpses by the time they get there." Suddenly wincing at the mental image, Lucy wished that she could take back her sentence. She turned back to Michelle slightly sheepishly.

However, the other girl hadn't seemed to notice her morbid words.

"A hammer, you say?" Her sister questioned. Michelle's mouth was slightly open from what Lucy guessed was...apprehension?

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure that it was -" Lucy stopped as she was absorbed in thought, before snapping her fingers. "It was almost bigger than me, and had the Zentopia symbol on the hammering side!"

"Oh!" Michelle exclaimed, her face frozen. Her arms twitched slightly as she jumped in surprise.

"Mi - ?" Lucy was cut off as her sister grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Nee-san, I'm sure that hammer was in the attic!" Michelle gasped, her grip almost painful. However, Lucy was too caught up to notice.

"In the attic? Really?!" The blonde was immediately excited, but then abruptly deflated a little as rational thought took over. "Are you sure?" She asked with cynicism, refraining from raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, nee-san! Trust me a little, will you?" Lucy flushed at the slight jab.

"But I wonder how we didn't meet up with the Society..." Worry began etching itself into the stellar mage's face, while Michelle sighed in exasperation. _Lucy really is too worrisome_ , she thought fondly.

"Perhaps the theories of time travel actually came true in our case!" At the blonde's confused look, Michelle continued. "You see, maybe our presence in the timeline has already changed some minor events." Lucy frowned, before shaking her head in defeat.

"Look, we can figure this out later. First, we'll get the clock piece and then we'll go back to the estate to retrieve the hammer later, alright?" The kunoichi asked confidently. Michelle nodded enthusiastically. "Let's go!"

Turns out, ' _figuring it out later_ ' was a bad idea. A bad idea that was going to bite them in the butt much, much, later.

* * *

Omake: The Kunoichi's New Clothes.

Lucy stepped into the guild hall, the sleeves of her new kimono top fluttering slightly. She stretched as she approached the bar where Team Natsu, as well as Cana and Mira, were sitting.

"Morning, everyone!" She said as she slid onto a stool. A chorus of voices replied to her, all except for one. One that was usually boisterous and stood out from the others.

Lucy turned towards Erza, not missing the blank look on the redhead's face. She seemed to be staring hard at Lucy's chest.

The stellar mage sweatdropped. Well, there could be a whole host of things wrong from that one action.

"Uh...Erza? Are you o- Eeep!" The blonde squealed as the knight suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders, eyes wide. Their friends watched the scene with slightly dumbfounded expressions.

"Lucy..." Erza's voice was low and shocked. Said celestial mage was sweating bullets, wondering if she should apologise profusely.

"Y-Yes, Erza?" She managed to squeak out.

Lucy was suddenly blinded by a brilliant light, the only warning that she got before masses of sparkles engulfed her.

"You have finally seen the light! You have discovered what glorious miracles armour can bring you! I commend you, my dear nakama!" Erza declared proudly, before slamming Lucy's head into her hard, hard breastplate and 'embracing' her.

"Erza - "

 _"Oh my goodness Erza let her go she's choking!"_

 _"- can't breathe!_ "


End file.
